Angela Pia (Pious Angel): a Light, Boozy Vintage Dessert recipe

Angela Pia is an elegant, easy no bake dessert that is as rich in history as it is in flavor. Light, chilled and boozy, this dessert will cap off any meal in style.

After making a Grasshopper Pie from a family recipe for a vintage affair a few weeks back, I was inspired to pull out my Grandmother’s recipe box which is filled with her hand written recipes, and those from her friends as well as my Great Grandmother. It was a time before canned soup casseroles with three ingredients were in vogue and everything was a whole food for the most part.

I was thumbing through the dessert sections and landed on a few that felt unique or seasonal I wanted to try and pass along. My first choice proved that in the ‘60’s (my guess at the recipe vintage) cocktail hour was clearly NOT just for before dinner. The dessert named ‘Angela Pia’ or translated from Italian to be ‘Pious Angel’ was not something I could pass up.

Angela Pia – An Easy No Bake Dessert

I had scanned the ingredients before making Angela Pia but it was not until I was putting it together that the strong waft of the liquor gave way to suggestions on serving sizes!

It was the name that caught my attention but I won’t be ‘desserting and driving’ (actually in the tasting it was much more mild, really producing flavor from the brandy and rum but no teetering!)

Angela Pia is made by whipping together egg yolks with sugar, then adding brandy and rum. The mixture is folded into dissolved gelatin and all combined with beaten egg whites and freshly beaten whipping cream.

The elegant, easy no bake dessert is spooned into cocktail glasses and chilled to set. NOTE: I actually froze one batch as an experiment and loved the consistency for a hot summer day!

Perhaps even more enchanting than the Angela Pia dessert itself are the comments and history shared by relatives and former restaurant patrons which may be found at the bottom of the post and in the comments!

Pietro 311 Restaurant

My grandparents would have lived in San Francisco at the time. Anyone who has lived in Northern California in the last century would have heard of famous newspaper columnist HerbCaen.

His columns in the San Francisco chronicle began in the late 1930’s and spanned almost 60 years, always the talk of the breakfast or dinner table in my grandparents’ household. When I saw his recommendation on this recipe slip I was sure it must have been a hit at the time.

I did some sleuthing on the pre-printed recipe I found that had seemingly been torn from a larger document. What I pieced together with some internet help is that the original dessert was served at a restaurant named Pietro 311 on Washington Street in San Francisco.

At the time this would have been in the Produce District, I suspect leaving the clearly adored restaurant a surprise due to its unlikely location combined with its quality cuisine.

The area where it stood is now the Embarcadero Center for those knowledgeable to the Bay Area.

I found a few references to the restaurant in chat sessions from the past decade. They all shared a common palpable nostalgia and fondness for how ‘special’ the restaurant and its cuisine were. This dessert was always mentioned so must have really something in the era (before Jello Pudding Parfaits hit the shelves!).

This dessert is light with a texture of whipped topping and a lovely flavor of the vanilla and brandy. To me it looked ‘naked’ in the freezer and I thought about adding a sour cherry sauce or something to it but in the tasting it does not require a thing; it is angelic on its own. Maybe a garnish…..!

Using Raw Eggs

Another thing of the time that jumped out at me is that this recipeuses raw eggs. Salmonella was present in the 1960’s and I did NOT get the impression that dessert was made famous by causing deaths.

However we live in a more cautious time so I also did research about using the raw eggs, contacting farmers and chefs I know as well. To be the most cautious I would recommend using pasteurized eggs which should remove any risk from eating raw eggs. The statistics on contracting Salmonella are pretty slight but of course follow your own judgment.

Post Script. Following the posting of this article I received two emails that I could not resist sharing. After my research travels on the internet and encountering many misty nostalgic references to Pietro 311, I felt there are others who would relish this background history as I do. My great thanks to Francis for taking the time to write.

Please check the comments for more similar historical accounts of this favorite restaurant too. They piece together the experience at Pietro 311 and a bygone era of dining.

“Hello. My cousin, Stephanie Alioto, was married to Pietro Pinoni, who owned and operated Pietro’s 311 restaurant at 311 Washington Street in San Francisco, where I was a frequent diner. I loved the Angela Pia desert, which means “pious angel” but which was named after his sister-in-law, Angelina Alioto Figone. And the reason the restaurant was in the produce district at the time was because Pietro’s father-in-law, my Grand Uncle Ignatius Alioto’s fish processing plant, Consolidated Fish Co., was just up the street, and my Grandfather’s plant, San Francisco International Fish Co., was a couple of blocks away where what is now the redwood grove of the Transamerica building at the corner of Washington and Montgomery Streets.

Pietro started his restaurant in the late 50s at 311 Washington St., then when that lease was not renewed, he moved up a block, but kept the 311 name until redevelopment took that building for the new apartments and high-rise buildings sometime in the mid- to late ’60s. Pietro then moved the restaurant across to Marin County, but that was short-lived. He “retired” to make wine, write a book on wine making, and travel.

How long did you all live in SF? Do you remember the Tortola on Polk Street? The predecessor, Garabaldi’s Tamale Parlor, was started by my Great-grandfather; operated by my grandparents, and then by my father until about 1978, when it closed, as none of us wanted to go into the restaurant business.

At one time, a group of us made a list of t he old SF restaurants (and businesses) that were such a part of the city and are now gone – e.g., Maye’s Oyster House, The Old Poodle Dog, Jack’s, Paoli’s, The Temple Bar, El Matador, Original Joe’s on Broadway, Vanessi’s, Veneto’s, The White House, J. Magnin, Roos Brothers, etc. I am sure you remember all of them.

Regards,

Francis Scarpulla”

More Classic Easy No Bake Dessert Recipes You’ll Love:

If you’ve tried this easy no bake dessert recipe for Angela Pia or any other recipe on BoulderLocavore.com please don’t forget to RATE THE RECIPE and let me know where you found it in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

ANGELA PIA (Pious Angel)

I moved the preparation steps around from the original recipe not wanting the whipped egg whites or cream to sit and deflate. This all came together easily though I’d suggest reading all instructions and preparing every step ready before beginning.

Ingredients

Instructions

Set a saucepan filled with water over medium high heat on the stove to come to a low boil.

Add the packet of gelatin to ¼ cup of water in a metal bowl (which will go over the saucepan of hot water) for 5 minutes.

While the water is coming to a low boil and gelatin is soaking, add egg yolks to a different bowl and whisk or beat with a mixer until fully mixed. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until fully mixed into a light yellow, thick mixture. Add the brandy and rum and mix thoroughly.

If 5 minutes has elapsed, place the bowl with gelatin over the hot water and whisk until it is fully dissolved. Remove from heat to cool for a few minutes. Pour into yolk mixture and stir to fully combine.

Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Note: this cane be done during the time the gelatin was processing.

Beat whipping cream until it forms peaks and add the vanilla.

Fold together the egg whites and whipping cream mixture. Fold those into the yolk mixture until all are fully combined. Put into small cocktail glasses or sherbet cups to chill or freeze at least two hours before serving (I froze mine longer and they were light and easy to eat).

Ok, where do I begin with this? First of all, love the street car napkin… nice touch. Really nice photos Toni. I have hand written recipes from the late 40's and early 50's and those dreaded canned soups do appear. And how fun to research and piece together the history of this recipe. Great post Toni.

What a kick! When I was at Cal in the 50's, I had a “beat” friend who was writing the great American novel. Sadly, it was lost in the mail when he sent it to a publisher (way before computers and copiers) and disappeared into eternity. His name was Dave Pinoni and his father was Pietro who owned Pietro's restaurant. That's where I got the recipe for Angela Pia and I still remember Pietro who was not happy with son Dave who wanted to write the great American novel rather than work in the restaurant. Talk about bringing back memories!! I actually looked for Pietros a few times when we were in the city, but it's gone and I remember that Dave Pinoni decided to become a postman so he could relate to the common man!

E.D.H. Help me! I am literally having a panic laugh over your post about Pietro and his son Dave, aka. my father-in-law! Soooo funny. Dave is alive and well in Walnut Creek, California and is about to celebrate his 80th birthday in November 2015. If you’re local, do contact me. I can’t wait to share your post with his sons. And fyi, nothing has changed- Dave is still a great guy, an absolute character. Thank you.

I love this recipe and the great American Novel Story, both classic 50's drama. As someone who cannot afford to mess with my immune system, I have a tip if you choose to use pasteurized eggs to avoid any chance of salmonella: Add 1/8 tsp of cream of tartar per egg white, 1 Tablespoon of sugar and whip for twice as long (something about the heated proteins during pasteurization makes then less likely to whip) OR use powdered egg whites. For the yolks, either heat the sugar with very little water, bring to a boil, and slowly stream into the egg yolks, while beating them furiously OR here is microwave option (microwave times vary, mine uses much less time to reach a bubble stage. I've had to experiment but my dog loves the rejections):In a small heatproof cup, such as a custard cup, mix together :2 large egg yolks with1 1/2 teaspoons, water – and1 teaspoon, fresh lemon juice

Cover with plastic wrap. Cook in microwave on high (100 percent) power, until mixture bubbles – about 25-45 seconds.

Remove the cup from the microwave, stir the mixture with an impeccably clean fork.

Replace the plastic wrap. Microwave again on high power until the mixture bubbles again – this time it will take about 10-20 seconds to bubble. Allow the mixture to bubble (still microwaving on “high”) for 5-10 additional seconds.

Remove the cup from the microwave, remove the plastic wrap once more, stir the egg yolks thoroughly with another clean fork, and allow the mixture to cool before using.

We are not Italian, but my Mom used to make this dessert. It was a special occasion dessert, but we all loved it. She gave me the recipe a few years ago and when I am entertaining and hosting an Italian themed dinner, Angela Pia is the dessert! Everyone loves it and asks what it is!

What a charming tale and I so appreciate the discovery of recipes from our relatives (I almost said ancestors but that seemed to infer beyond my grandparents generation).

My cousin has a recipe book from the church my grandmother attended and has shared some of those with me. That she, a non cook, has that special book is so wrong…but I try console myself by looking at Grandma's rolling pin!

hi Toniwhat a wonderful dessert! I think we have forgotten too many wonderful dishes, vintage recipes still have a lot going for them, not just in flavor but in history. Thanks for making this delicious treat and sharing it with us. I still do use raw eggs at home but I do only use free range organic eggs, I don't think you have the problems that you do with storage eggs.CheersDennis

Oh Toni, you continually amaze me with your sense of history and how much love and time you put into your posts.I just love your blog so much and you, well I love you too. Can't wait until we're sharing a glass and a meal together.

Another treasure from your family! Such a gorgeous dessert…and I love all the history you've uncovered 🙂 Thanks SO much for the congratulatory tweet, my friend…I DO think I forgot to reply, but I truly appreciate your thoughtful good wishes! Hope you've had a great weekend, Toni~

My son Alex found your blog & sent it to me. Pietro Pinoni was my father and I know the “Angela Pia” dessert well – although I never ate it as a child because of the idea of raw eggs! (the rum was OK!)

Thanks, Francis for your story. There are a few points that need correction, though.

The dessert was not named after my Auntie Angie ( whose married name was Figara not Figone…)It was names after the originator of the dish – Pia Lazzareschi, who was a friend of our family having grown up very close to my mother, Stephanie & all the “double cousins” in North Beach.

“Pia” by itself wasn't much of a name, so my father added the “Angela” because the dessert was angelic and light.

The Wine making book – How to Make Wine like my Grandfather Did in Italy – co-written with Robert E. Burger with illustrations by the cartoonist Sandy Heckinger and me (!) came out just before the second SF restaurant closed. He did not reopen in Marin, just enjoyed his retirement hiking with the Sierra Club, tending his large vegetable garden, cooking and enjoying good wine for 10 years or so before passing away suddenly just after his 79th birthday.

Pietro 311 was a great little restaurant where the waiting staff would parade around singing – long before TGIF or others did anything like that. Mostly they sang in Italian, but Louis Foo, a busyboy from China, taught them a song in Chinese. He sang along in Italian, as well.

My friend and I used to take dates to Pietro's and the dessert “Angela Pia” was the highlight of the meal, that and the waiters balancing drinks on their heads. The food was fabulous and its been 50 years since we went, but the meal was probably less that $10.00. Thanks for the memories.

Pietro and his wife Stephanie were two of my very favorite cousins. When I was a kid, I'd spend some time in the summer at their house in Marin, playing with my cousin who just posted above as Helidoni, going here and there, walking with Pietro around his beautiful garden and generally having a wonderful time. I remember visiting Pia Lazzareschi's house. I didn't get to go to the restaurant often, but when I did it was a special treat – all the singing, balancing drinks and such. Pietro worked in the late afternoon and evening, and he would often be gone by the time we returned from our daily outings. I fondly remember he would place a flower on his daughter's and on my pillow before he left for work. He was such a lovely, interesting man and I truly miss him and Stephanie. Both had a strong impact on my life.

I happened to be going through an old cookbook and I found a piece of newspaper, quite brown and quite old with the Recipe on it, I rmemebered it from my own days of going to Pietros…Wwe all loved the Restauranr and that was a favorite Dessert…I am having guests for dinner tonight and I had decided to make it using the old Recipe I found ..just for fun I went to the Internet and WOW there it was…I could not remember the name of the Restaurant and I am so happy now to have found it…I grew up in S.F. and have many fond memories. When I was in High School our Jounalism Class was taken to the newspaper and we met Herb Cain this would have been in 1938-39 era….I also met Joseph Alioto in my later years of working when he was the Mayor oiof san Francisco…LOVE all the notes to be shares….

I, too, have this recipe handed down from my mother, probably originally from her mother – both San Francisco women. It is always a hit when I make it. I use less whipped cream. Make it in a tart pan with a light crushed almond crust. After it chills a bit, I add raspberries and blueberries or thinly sliced strawberries and blueberries on top in whatever pattern strikes me at the moment.

Your link was among others that appeared when I was searching for something else. Thanks for the reminder – must make angela Pia again soon.

Suzanne this has been one of my favorite posts I’ve done I think. Somehow taking the trip down SF memory lane was so fun. Out of this post I have had a number of relatives internationally of Pietro email me about their memories having not stayed connected with the family. It’s been fascinating and it seems most everyone who lived in the City at that time remembers the restaurant and dessert. Thank YOU for your commment as you are reminding me I need to make Angela Pia myself!

Especially made me miss my uncle Jess Gonzales who ran a trucking company in San Francisco. He loved good food and especially Italian food, and he loved Herb Caen. I wish he were still around to tell me if he ever took my Aunt there.

Thanks for the memories and for a new recipe that I will remember them by.

I felt the same way in writing this Rita. Especially with the outpouring of letters from their family, some which I appended the post with and others that I did not. It feels like the recipe really has a history and a soul, doesn’t it?

Absolutely loved this story! I had an aunt and uncle who lived in San francisco that we visited several times. They had an Italian daughter in law, so I’m sure we ate there at least once! 😉 I enjoy reading about the connections that appear afterwards from these online postings that stir memories and bring together people who otherwise would remain unknown to each other. Another fabulous recipe to try, too!

My mom was a gourmet cook and did quite a bit of experimentation of her own. My brother is coming to Santa Cruz from Los Angeles to visit me around his birthday and I am going to surprise him with his favorite dessert from the 60’s, Angela Pia. I also have Mom’s recipe card but wondered if anyone else knew about the dessert and stumbled onto this website. Thanks for the memories from Southern California!

This really has been one of my favorite posts over the year really for all the commenters! You’ll see the family from the original restaurant, now spread around the world, have all commented. And other who remember it. I never experienced it myself but writing about it brought such fond memories from my childhood time in San Francisco with my grandparents. I hope your brother is thrilled! Incidentally I went to college in Santa Cruz!

I want to weigh in about Pietro 311 restaurant, unique among my more than 7 decades of restaurant experience. I remember the place fondly. My visits to Pietro’s spanned a decade, from 1953 or so to 1963. For a short period I lived in San Francisco and could walk to the place.

Pietro greeted everyone as they entered, and he set my standard for what a restaurateur ought to be. Pietro knew his many regulars by name, while those of us who visited infrequently he recognized, but did not speak our names. His manner was completely warm and welcoming. Once seated, our dinner began with the most comprehensive antipasto platter I’ve experienced, including pickled pigs’ feet (my first time for those). Right from the start we needed to discipline ourselves or we’d be full before the entree, because we’d fill up on the antipasto and San Francisco’s unique sourdough bread. Next came either a large family-bowl of really good minestrone or salad, I cannot remember the order. The salad was a good caesar, prepared on a cart at the table, a strong visual memory. First, the garlic rubbed into the bowl. Then the croutons and anchovies. Then the lemon juice, followed by a shower of olive oil. Literally a shower, because holes had been punched in the top of a gallon can of oil and the waiter held the can upside down over the salad bowl. I cannot recall, there may have followed a shower of red wine vinegar, although a caesar’s acid can come from lemon juice alone. Finally, the crisp romaine was dressed with freshly shredded parmesian and served with a flourish.

Next, was primo, an excellent red-sauced pasta (my soul food). The secondo, or entree, was a choice of such as chicken cacciatore, 4 or 5 choices, as I recall. The finish was the magical Angela Pia and espresso. All so far were included in a fixed-price dinner. Besides the decent dinner wine, sometimes I’d have an apertivo, such as Punte Mes, and afterward a cordial liqueur of some sort, perhaps grappa.

So far the show was not unique, although always special, as I loved the waiters. At the end of dinner, however, the small glassware was cleared by waiters singing opera arias. One fellow I remember in particular. His name was George and he’d cart off our empty cordial glasses balanced on his bald pate singing Verdi or Puccini in a decent voice. Wotta show!

We tended to eat late, so when we exited the front door we’d need to step carefully to avoid the crates of lettuce and other produce that had been stacked on the curb edge of the sidewalk, headed for the produce market across the street.

I’m not sure of the true story, but at the time I’d understood that Pietro 311 needed to move from its original address at 311 Washington, two blocks up to the 500 block because then-Mayor George Christopher forced the issue about the produce market. Christopher was corrupt and I was told that I understood that Pietro hated that mayor. What I didn’t know at the time was that Pietro was the brother in law of future mayor Joe Alioto. At the time we all admired Pietro for standing up to a corrupt mayor and for keeping the “311” as sort of an act of defiance.

Over the years I’ve made many Angela Pia desserts. Once I even made it in plastic water glasses and took it to a post-hike potluck/poetry reading at a nearby mountain lake. It was, and always is, a big hit. As I am not fond of vanilla, I substituted lime juice, and add a garnish of finely shaved lime zest, which goes nicely visually. The recipe otherwise is unaltered; check it out:

Oh my goodness David this may be the favorite comment I’ve ever received on any blog post ever. What a treasure trove of memories and details that take me back to being a child when my grandparents live in ‘the city’ and hearing names like Alioto thrown around in context that I couldn’t yet understand. There are have multiple family members ring in on this post and past patrons, all of whom exude the love of this special restaurant and a bygone era of dining. Thank you, thank you, for taking the time to share all of this. I truly treasure it.

Wow! You are on top of your blog. Sometimes when I post somewhere I wonder if anyone’s reading. And here, with years passed in these posts, I wonder if anyone will read mine. I’m glad you liked it. Some of your recipes interest me and I’ll comment there. Good work you do.

I read every comment David! I feel if people take the time to comment I owe them reading it! Also this post has evoked so many memories and stories for people, it’s a favorite for me too. Your comment prompted me to do some updating to the post too (dusting it off, enlargening the original photos, etc). Thank you again.

Yes I read all the blogs (lived near Dave Pinoni’s Walnut Creek many years ago, but did not know him. Further memory takes me to recall that the Pietro 311 meal included the choice of Osso Bucco or Saltimbocca (“jump in the mouth”) or lamb shanks as entrees. Likely the first time I’d had either. I’m making Angela Pia for guests tonight to accompany a Thai meal.

By the way, another wonderful source of Italian Americana and recipes is the late and sorely missed Angelo Pellegrini, whose classic work, The Unprejudiced Palate, was one of my first food literature (and recipe) books (first read about the time I went to Pietro 311). He taught English Literature at the University of Washington. I regret that, when I moved to the Pacific Northwest, I didn’t look him up and thank him for his profound influence. You might check him out.

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